Thursday, April 10, 2014

Come and Get It! Right now! The Beatles are coming to Argenta

Fifty years ago, John, Paul, George and Ringo made their first appearance on Ed Sullivan. I watched it. Everyone alive at the time watched it. Oh, their warbled "oooooooohs!" Oh, their hair!

They were, as it turned out, musical geniuses as well as heartthrobs, which is why every generation since knows every lyric to every song they ever wrote. Sadly, the Fab Four is down to two in real life, but the next best thing — about 200 archival photographs tracing their careers, along with special art, music and theatrical events — is coming to downtown North Little Rock tomorrow with about a million special events starting Saturday and continuing through April 19.

"The British Invasion Fifty Years Later," images from Retro Images Archive, will take over Argenta, with exhibits at Greg Thompson Fine Art ("John Lennon and Paul McCartney"), the THEA Foundation ("George Harrison and Ringo Starr"), Pennington Studios ("Ed Sullivan — the British Invasion"), The Joint (Magical Mystery Tour: The Beatles Films"); Mugs Cafe (Beatles graphics), the William F. Laman Library Argenta Branch ("Meet the Beatles"), and the Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, where the exhibit is titled (what else) "Yellow Submarine."

The Art Connection will feature "Beatlemania," work created by young artists. There will also be walking tours (noon April 12 at the U.S.S. Razorback Submarine, 2 p.m. April 12 at Thea), a film festival at The Joint (4 p.m. April 14, 8 p.m. April 15, 6 p.m. April 16 and 6 p.m. April 17), a 1960s-themed "Tales From the South" at Starving Artist Cafe (5:30 p.m. April 15, tickets required); British Invasion IMPROV at The Joint (8 p.m. April 16) an all-Beatles tribute with The Libras, featuring guest Arkansas musicians, 8-11 p.m. at the Argenta Community Theater (tickets required); the British Motor Club of Arkansas at 406 Main St. noon-3 p.m. April 19, barbecue and karaoke at the Inland Maritime Museum (3-6 p.m. April 19, tickets required); and the finale, the Argenta Arts Foundation Awards Event at the ACT (tickets required).

Whew! By the way, Gov. Mike Beebe is honorary chairman of the exhibition.

All exhibitions are free; ticketed events will benefit the Argenta Arts Foundation.

Comments

More by Leslie Newell Peacock

Hendrix College's Dr. Jay Barth will give a talk and sax player Dr. Barry McVinney and pianist Mark Binns will provide the music at tonight's opening of "The Sign of the Times: The Great American Political Poster" in the Windgate Gallery at UA Pulaski Tech's CHARTS (The Center for Humanities and Arts). The event runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

GiGi’s Soul Cafe and Lounge at 10840 Maumelle Blvd., where the Nashville Rockin Grill was located, opened July 28 and co-owner Darrell Wyrick the restaurant is “bringing back the spirit of some of the places that have gone, like Porter’s and The Afterthought” with its soul food and “old school R and B vibe.”

Gospel and R&B singer and civil rights activist Mavis Staples, who has been inspiring fans with gospel-inflected freedom songs like "I'll Take You There" and "March Up Freedom's Highway" and the poignant "Oh What a Feeling" will come to Little Rock for the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the desegregation of Central High.

A look at Fourquarter Bar in Argenta, brought to you by the folks behind Midtown Billiards. Beer, barbecue and killer cocktails abound!

Federal Judge P.K. Holmes of Fort Smith issued a 32-page ruling yesterday indicating he contemplates punishment of 16 lawyers who moved a class action lawsuit against an insurance company out of his court to a state court in Polk County after a settlement had been worked out.

Lawyers facing federal court sanctions for forum shopping a class action insurance case have brought in new legal guns from out of state to fight potential sanctions.

Most Shared

Gospel and R&B singer and civil rights activist Mavis Staples, who has been inspiring fans with gospel-inflected freedom songs like "I'll Take You There" and "March Up Freedom's Highway" and the poignant "Oh What a Feeling" will come to Little Rock for the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the desegregation of Central High.

Everything that Donald Trump does — make that everything that he says — is calculated to thrill his lustiest disciples. But he is discovering that what was brilliant for a politician is a miscalculation for a president, because it deepens the chasm between him and most Americans.

Watching the Charlottesville spectacle from halfway across the country, I confess that my first instinct was to raillery. Vanilla ISIS, somebody called this mob of would-be Nazis. A parade of love-deprived nerds marching bravely out of their parents' basements carrying tiki torches from Home Depot.